Greece and China established diplomatic relations on June 5, 1972. In 2006 the two countries upgraded their relation into a Strategic Partnership aspiring to forge a steadily evolving, mutually beneficial and multi-level cooperation.

The successful organization of the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 and in Beijing, for the first time, in 2008, enabled the two countries to exchange visits and know how, thus, achieving a closer cooperation.

2015 was announced as the “Year for Maritime Cooperation between Greece and China”, contributing further to mutually beneficial cooperation in the sectors of shipping, trade and tourism.

Diplomatic Relations

The Embassy of Greece in Beijing was established following the official announcement of our diplomatic ties in 1972 (OG 203/17.11.1972). Greece maintains Consulates General in Shanghai (OG 55/23.3.1999), Guangzhou (OG 69/3.4.2006) and Hong Kong (OG 238/10.11.1966).

The visit of the Greek Deputy Prime Minister Mr. J. Dragasakis along with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. N. Kotzias in Beijing, in March 2015, as well as the visit of the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Wang Chao in Athens (5.6.2015) have been particularly constructive. In addition, the meeting of the Prime Minister Mr. A. Tsipras with the Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping in the margins of the 70th UN General Assembly, 29.9.2015, demonstrates the high level of bilateral relations and the political will to deepen our cooperation.

Multilateral Cooperation

In the framework of Europe-Asia Cooperation, Greece, as an EU member-state and China, as an Asian country, participate in the Interregional Dialogue Process between Europe and Asia, ASEM. The 12th Ministerial Conference took place in November 5, 2015, in Luxembourg, while the 11th ASEM Summit will be held, in 2016, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Greece and China enjoy long lasting history and culture, intertwined with the sea and shipping.

Today, the port of Piraeus, constitutes an international hub linking Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East with China. A tangible example of cooperation is COSCO’s investment in the port of Piraeus, which upgrades the port facilities and strengthens the prospect of their connectivity with the region’s railway system.

The bilateral cooperation in the sector of maritime transports is based on the EU-China Maritime Cooperation (2008) as well as on the Strategic Agenda 2020, that is the evolution of the EU-China Strategic Partnership. Greece remains one of the first maritime countries in the world and shipping has been traditionally one of the most significant sectors of the Greek economy, while shipbuilding projects and repairs of a great number of Greek-owned ships to Chinese shipyards, tighten our bilateral relations. However, Greece’s balance of trade with China shows a large deficit.

For information on bilateral economic relations, you can visit the AGORA internet portal.

Greece welcomes Chinese tourists to Greece. Visa Centers were established in all cities where Greece has either diplomatic or consular posts in order to facilitate Chinese visitors. Furthermore, the Schengen Visa Information System was introduced in October 2015 aiming to achieve faster services.

Greek as well as Chinese civilization constitute two of the most ancient and deepest civilizations in the history of humanity.

The teaching of Greek language in China takes place in several Universities and Institutions, including the Chair of Modern Greek at the University of Shanghai (1972), the Centre of Greek Studies at Peking University (2001), the Chair of Modern Greek Language at Beijing Foreign Studies University as well as the Chair of Byzantine Studies at the University of Nankai in Tianjin (1992). In 2015, the Chair of Classical and Modern Greek Studies was created in Tsinghua University in Beijing.

In 2008, the Confucius Institute was established in Athens and functions under the aegis of the Economic University of Athens.

Educational as well as cultural exchanges are strengthened via twinning between Greek and Chinese municipalities. One of the first took place between the cities of Piraeus and Shanghai.

It is estimated that a small number of Greek citizens resides in various Chinese cities (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong). The Hole Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and South East Asia is based, under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in Hong Kong.